New Testament Survey

Structure

The New Testament is the story
of this coming, this fulfillment of the God’s events and plans.

To better understand the structure
of the New Testament, let us review the make-up of the writings. We have
all heard the first five books of the Old Testament referred to as the
“books of the law.” How does the New Testament break down
in such a comparison? Consider some of the details.

OLD TESTAMENT

39 books

929 chapters

Written over 1100 years (1450
to 350 B.C.)

Covers over 4,000 years

About 31 authors

NEW TESTAMENT

27 books

260 chapters

Written over 50-55 years
(A.D. 45 to 95-100)

Covers about 100 years

About 9 authors

Another break down concerns
the divisions of materials:

The Divisions of the Old and New Testmaents

TYPE

OLD TESTAMENT

NEW TESTAMENT

Beginnings / Law

Gen – Deut

Matt – John

History

Judges - Esther

Acts

Wisdom/Poetry

Job – Song of Sol.

Epistles Romans - Jude

Prophecy

Isaiah - Malachi

Revelation

The order of the New Testament
is one of logical sequence, not one of chronology. This is especially
true if one views the order of writing. The letter of James is probably
the first of the books of the New Testament to be reduced to writing.
It covers the concepts of how a Christian should live his life. James
assumes his audience has already received salvation. The writings of John,
including his Gospel, are the last books of the New Testament to be written.
Viewed in this fashion, the order is wrong, since one cannot be a Christian
and be concerned about the matters of James until one has learned who
Christ is and how one brings Him into one’s life. This is the material
of John’s Gospel!

There is much disagreement
among scholars and learned pastors over the centuries on the dating of
some of the books of the New Testament. Many think John wrote in the late
60s, not at the end of the century. Some think Galatians was written much
later in Paul’s life (closer to A.D. 60) than in the late 40s. These
differences do not affect the validity of what is said in the writings,
nor their inclusion in God’s Bible. These differences generally
arise from theological presuppositions rather than from any specific information
supporting a different date. A generally accepted set of dates is as follows:

The dates of the writing of the books of the New Testament

BOOK

DATE
A.D.

James

45

Galatians

49

1-2 Thess.

50/51

Mark

50s or 60s

Matthew

50s or 60s

1 Cor

54/55

2 Cor

55/56

Romans

56/57

Colossians

61/63

Ephesians

61/63

Philippians

61-63

Philemon

61-63

Luke

61-63

1 Peter

63-67

1 Timothy

63/64

Titus

63/64

Acts

64/65

2 Peter

64-67

2 Timothy

64/65

Hebrews

68/69

Jude

68/69

John

85-95

1,2,3 John

85-95

Revelation

85-95

What difference
does this history make to you?

Why?

Describe the Pharisee,
scribes, and Sadducees. Do they resemble anyone in the modern day
church?

Is a synagogue like a
church? Why? Why not?

What
does church do for you?

22
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners
delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you
at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will
make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have
set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I
also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh
as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek
me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my
counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat
of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity
of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall
dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.Proverbs
1:22-33